Multiplane rotating movement for aerial amusement rides



A ril 3, 1951 Filed April 6, 1948 J. E. BURG MULTIPLANE ROTATINGMOVEMENT FOR AERIAL AMUSEMENT RIDES 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR I BY il II I ATTORNEYS.

April 3, 1951 J. E. BURG 2,547,152

' MULTIPLANE RQTATING MOVEMENT FOR AERIAL AMUSEMENT RIDES Filed April 6,1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 III/I INVENTO ATTORNEYS- April 3, 1951 J. E. BURG2,547,152

MULTIPLANE ROTATING MOVEMENT FOR AERIAL AMUSEMENT RIDES Filed April 6,1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 lviiwiw aztzzzi y INVENTOR I BY I I I ATTORNEYS.

April 3, 1951 J. E. BURG MULTIPLANE ROTATING MOVEMENT FOR AERIALAMUSEMENT RIDES 4 Sheets-Shet 4 Filed April 6, 1948 N Nu 5N km m RN km mI/\M, NNJ 4 m M \N RN Sm. M R mm (M1 NW N. W MN MN MW NW NR ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 3, 1951 MULTIPLANE ROTATING MOVEMENT FOR AERIAL AMUSEMENTRIDES John E. Burg, Burlington, Iowa Application April 6, 1948, SerialNo. 19,219

This invention relates to an amusement ridin device, such as is found inpublic amusement parks.

A main object of the invention is to provide a structure of thecharacter described which will impart to cars carried thereby acombination of simultaneous movements designed to produce maximumthrills for the occupants.

Another main object is to provide an amusement riding device which willoperate as stated above and will yet be wholly safe.

With the foregoin and other objects in View which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details ofconstruction and combinations of parts, hereinafter more fully describedand pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may bemade in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing fromthe spirit of the invention as claimed.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is a plan view of the rotatable carsupporting portion of thedevice, the base not being shown.

Figure 2 is a side elevation, one arm and car supported thereby notbeing shown.

Figure 3' is a side elevation of the car-supporting yoke of one of thearms, the car'being shown in end elevation.

Figure 4 is a section on line 4-6 of Figure 3 showing the connection ofthe yoke to the arm.

Figure 5 is an end elevation of the yoke, the car being shown in sideelevation.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 3, the shell of the car beingremoved for the purpose of showing details of inner construction wherebythe car ismounted for movement relative to the yoke, some parts beingshown in section.

Figure 7 is a section on line '!1 of Figure 6, end portions of the carshell being cut away.

Figure 8 is a detail section on line 8+8 of Figure 7.

Figure -9 is a detail section on line 9-5 of Figure 7.

Figure 10 is a detail section on line it-55 of Figure 6.

Figure 11 is a side elevation of a locking means whereby the car islocked to the yoke'to permit entry or departure of passengers portionsof the device cooperating with the locking means being shownfragmentarily.

Referring to the drawings in detail, at 5 I have designated a fixedsupporting structure or base, the upper end of which is formed as aplatform 6 rigid with the base, and is inclined at an 2 Claims. (Cl.272-51) ted through angularly related meshing gears to an inclined shaft3, projected through the platform 6 and disposed perpendicular thereto.

Rotated by shaft 3 is a turn-table '8 mounted on the platform 6, and aplurality of arms 9 are secured to and extend radially from theturntable, as best shown by Figure 1. The arms 9 may be in any desirednumber and are preferably formed from elongated I-beams, thisconstruction being best shown by Figures 2 and 4.

From this point, the description will be confined to the construction ofone arm and the parts supported thereby. It will be understood that theother arms and supported parts are constructed identically to that whichwill be described.

Secured to the free end of each arm 9 is a yoke designated generally bythe reference numeral H). In the present instance, yoke iii comprises apair of channel members if that converge toward their inner ends so asto embrace the outer end of arm 9 (Figure 4). The angles of the channelmembers are reinforced by gussets l2 and I3.

Registering openings are formed in arm 9 and channel members H and. arethreaded to receive studs l4, and lock nuts on the opposite ends of therespective studs secure the connection against any tendency to loosen.

Referring to Figures 2 and 3, the inner ends of the channel members! iare of curved formation, so that the yoke i 8 extends from the straightarm '9 at an angle. Thus, the yoke at the right of Figure 2 is disposedhorizontally, being parallel and close to the ground or other supportingsurface. When, however, the yoke is moved through it is positioned asshown at the left of Figure 2, and not only is no longer horizontal, butis disposed at a steep angle relative to the supporting surface.

In the free end of each channel member or yoke arm H, I form an openingl5 (Figure '7) and welded or otherwise rigidly mounted in this openingis a bearing box H5, one end of which is closed by cover plate H. Eachof the opposed boxes provided in the yoke includes an outer bushing l8(Figures 7 and 10). The bearings provided rare for the purpose ofpermitting axial rotation of opposed stub shafts It, each of which isprovided with an inner bushing 20. Roller bear-- ings 2| are carried inthe race provided between the bushings, and there are thus providedbearings permitting free rotation of each stub shaft E9 in eitherdirection.

Integral with the inner ends of the respective stub shafts [9 are largearcuate clamps 22 each of which is formed with a thickened centerportion from which extend arcuate clamping members 23. Washers 24 areinterposed between the clamps and the bearings described above. Eachclamp 22 is formed with a longitudinal slot receiving an annulartrackway 26 which as best shown by Fig. '7 is T-shaped in cross section,the rib of the track being entered into the slot of each clamp and beingsecured to the clamp by fastening means 25.

. one end against the collar 48 is the spring 49,

The reference numeral 21 designates spaced 7 V outer disc sections,which may be formed with a plurality of openings 28 (Figure 6) for thepurpose of decreasing their weight.

Between the disc sections 21 is interposed an inner section generallydesignated 29 that is cast with radial spokes 30 integral with aperipheral ring 3|. Ring 3| is concentric with and spaced from track 26(Figure 7). The outer disc sections 21 and inner disc section 29 aresecured against relative rotation by the provision of a plurality ofstuds 32 threaded through openings formed in the outer disc sections andengaging the inne disc section at the intersection of its spokes 30(Figure 9). Lock nuts secure the connection against a tendency toloosen.

Cast in the marginal portion of each outer disc section 21 is aplurality of recessed projections 33 that constitute journals foropposed trunnions 35 carried by rollers 35. Rotation of the rollers 35relative to the outer disc sections is provided by roller bearings 34.

By reason of this construction, it is seen that the rollers 36 and partsimmediately associated therewith provide combined rollers and bearingspermitting rotation of the inner and outer disc sections relative totrack 26, the rollers being interposed between track 26 and the ring 3i.

Opposed shell sections 31 are secured to the respective outer discsections 21 and to each other in any suitable manner. For example,longitudinal tubular braces 38 can be extended through the car providedfor by the shell sections 3?, these being threaded through the outerdisc sections and secured in place by lock nuts 39. It is understoodthat the cars can vary in design, the elliptical shape illustrated beingshown purely as an example of one suitable construction. It isunderstood further that the cars would be cross-braced as necessary soas to insure safety.

To provide access to the tions 3?, I provide the doors respective carsec- 49, hinged at 4! to its associated car section, each door beingfitted v with a suitable handle 42.

Referring to Fig. 11, means are provided for preventing rolling of thecar in its annular trackway when passengers are being loaded orunloaded. To this end, a tube 43 is provided to the outer end of whichis welded or otherwise rigidly secured a box 54 that is rigidlysecuredto one of the structural frame members of the car section, as forexample a cross brace 45.

Slidable and rotatable in the tube 43 is a rod 46 the outer end of whichis formed with an apertured locking handle 41.

On the inner end of the tube 43 is a collar 48, and surrounding the rod46 and abutting at the other end of which abuts against a, washer 50held by nut 5| threaded on the inner end of the rod 46.

Projecting from opposite faces of the annular trackway 2B is a lockingbar 52.

Normally, during operating of the riding device, the locking handle 41is recessed in the box 44, being yieldably urged into the box by thespring 49. When, however, the riding device is stopped, and passengersare to be either loaded or unloaded, the operators of the device pullthe locking handles 4'1 out of their respective lock boxes 44, andpartially rotating them to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 5,position them over the locking bars 52. Then, the handles are partially.rotated to the full line positions illustrated in Fig. 5, and in thesepositions will receive the locking bars 52 and will lock the car againstmovement relative to the annular trackway 26.

As to the operation of the amusement riding device, it is understoodthat the power means used would be such as would permit the operator tochange the speed .of movement of the main arms 9. Variable speedcontrols for structures of this type are well known in themselves.

' When the amusement riding device is set in motion the radial arms 9revolve around the inclined axis 8. Each yoke I l and car carriedthereby, accordingly, travels in an orbit around said inclined axis 8,and this travel of the yokes is in an inclined plane.

Each annular trackway 26, meanwhile, is mounted between the arms of ayoke for spinning movement. As a result, each car spins o rotates on itstransverse axis so that each car in effect has tumbling, end-for-endmovement.

There is another free movement of each car, wherein each car rollsfreely on its longitudinal axis, by reason of being roller-mounted onits trackway 26.

As may be noted, no movement of a car is controlled by the caroccupants. In other words,

the trackway 26 is mounted for free spinning movement between the armsof each yoke, and the car carried by each track 25 is in turn mountedfor free rotation within the track. In this connection, the angularrelationship of each yoke H to its associated radial arm 9 will give, inmost cases, irregular spinning movement to the track 26, and irregularrolling movement to the car carried by each track. This would be byreason of the generally irregular weight distribution of the passengerswhich would tend to persist in each car, accompanied by the continuallychanging angles of inclination of the transverse and longitudinal axesof the car during orbital movement of the car in its inclined plane onthe end of an angularly related yoke and arm 9.

What is claimed is: l

1. An amusement riding device including a base, arms mounted thereon forradial movement in an inclined plane, a yoke fixedly mounted on theouter end of each arm and inclined upwardly at an angle to said arm, anannular track mounted to spin freely between the arms of each yoke, anda car mounted on each track to roll freely within the track on an axisperpendicular to the axis of spin of the track.

2. An amusement riding device including a base, a tilted shaft mounted.on the upper end of the base, means for driving the shaft, a pluralityof radial arms fixed to the shaft and dis posed perpendicular to theaxis of the shaft for cured to the disc sections for rotation therewith.

2,547,152 5 6 radial movement of the arms in an inclined plane,REFERENCES CITED yoke F Y Secured to the outer t of each The followingreferences are of record in the arm and inclined upwardly at an obliqueangle file of this patent: to the arm, an annular trackway mounted forfree spinning between the arms of each yoke, 2; UNITED STATES PATENTSand a car carried by each trackway, each car in- Number Name Dateeluding a center disc section concentric with and 1,965,039 Hunt July 3,1934 disposed within the trackway, rollers interposed 2,203,971 shepherdJune 11, 1940 between said center disc section and trackway. 2,274,956Eyerly Mar. 3, 1942 for free rotation of each disc section within and 12,294,166 Eyerly Aug. 25, 1942 relative to the trackway, and shellsections 56- 2,423,283 Austin July 1, 1947 JOHN E. BURG.

